An influential stream of thought in marketing is that all products have elements of service products and that thinking about even tangible products as service offerings can promote creative new thinking. This is not such an odd notion upon reflection. The can of beans that is served at the family dinner is a tangible product, but it also includes and...

The cruise industry, hit hard by COVID-19 and post-pandemic restrictions is now as popular as ever. Cruises are capturing the hearts and dollars of a new cohort. And, the cruise industry is following some evergreen principles of marketing: a market is specific people with specific wants in specific contexts. A recent conversation with a consultant...

According to Forrester’s latest tracking report, the quality of customer experience with brands is at an all-time low. By contrast, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, satisfaction hit an all-time high in the first quarter of this year, and was only a smidgen lower in the second quarter. Are brands doing the best or the worst...

After two years of agonizing death throes, Tupperware, the plastic, resealable, food storage brand is in bankruptcy proceedings. The demise of Tupperware is a sorry statement for an iconic, innovative, American brand that provided post-WWII stay-at-home women the opportunity for daytime comradery and extra cash. Pundits and analysts have been dissecting...

There’s one, single component of a company’s culture that has more impact than any other on innovation: truthfulness. Truth-telling is foundational for cultures that prize speed, creativity, decisiveness, and risk-taking. But it’s often missing. Here’s why: Telling awkward truths has little upside for the truth-tellers. These truths can: ...

It is now commonly understood that brands represent significant corporate value and are among an organization’s most valuable intangible assets, which now comprise up to 90% of the value of the S&P 500. In recent years, Boards and private equity firms have increasingly recognized the additional strategic and financial value that strong brands bring...